Region Archives: Canada West

A new wildfire risk reduction project in Bella Coola is set to benefit the community by improving forest safety and supporting local jobs. North Coast-Haida Gwaii MLA Tamara Davidson says the initiative will help reduce wildfire threats while increasing the fibre supply for the forestry industry, which continues to face challenges from U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber. The Bella Coola Community Forest is a cherished part of the region for both locals and visitors, said Davidson. Projects like this not only help protect against wildfires but also provide valuable community education and create good-paying jobs—critical as we deal with climate change and rising wildfire risks. The Bella Coola Community Forest organization is receiving nearly $149,000 to complete wildfire mitigation work in an area south of Hagensborg and the Bella Coola airport.

Rick Walters

At a tour of the Knife Creek Forest south of Williams Lake, visitors got to glimpse research aimed at finding sustainable alternatives for the forestry industry. The University of British Columbia’s Alex Fraser Research Forest team has been testing a new approach to harvesting since January to determine its viability for the forest industry in British Columbia. “It’s a different style and scale of harvesting,” said Rick Walters, the interim manager of the research forest. The highlight of this research is the Malwa 560C, a high performing machine used to harvest and transport wood.  Originating from Sweden, it offers a more European approach to forestry, allowing teams to use a more selective method when harvesting. “Smaller equipment gives you an opportunity to pick and choose,” Walters said, explaining how the Malwa allows the team to leave trees expected to strengthen the forest’s ecosystem untouched, and removing those which hinder their growth.  

Rick Maddison, who lost his home in the 2003 Okanagan Mountain wildfire, and Murray Wilson, a retired forester of Vernon have teamed up to create the film B.C. Is Burning, a documentary that focuses on solutions, rather than devastation. “I’m hoping if these ideas in the film are adopted, more communities can be protected from this ongoing threat,” said Maddison. The project began in 2024, and the team is looking to raise funds to help finish the project and distribute the film. …“We’ve spoken with some of the leading people in the field,” said Wilson. “Their insights could change how we manage our forests — and how we protect our communities.” The team is hoping to raise $45,000. Recognizing the film’s importance for B.C.’s future, Kelowna-based Homestead Foods, a local hydroponics and sustainable farming operation, has agreed to match donations up to $22,500 to fund the final stages and the launch of the documentary. To watch the trailer and donate, visit BCisBurning.ca

When the BC Liberals ushered in the era of consolidation and mega-corporatization of our forest industry, I bet they didn’t think their creation would turn on them. But that’s exactly what’s happening. Analysts say that 2025 could be the year the American South produces more softwood lumber than all of Canada. …We can debate all day about how “investment” has every right to leave, especially if we don’t give it everything it demands, like massive profits for billionaires. …Our past governments, in all their glorious wisdom, decided that an “efficient” industry of consolidated monopoly and monopsony players, with immense market power, would create a globally competitive Canadian forest industry. …We created a monster that turned its back on us the moment it could make a higher profit elsewhere.

Experience and good judgement should warn us from taking any election promise literally. But many nursery operators and planting contractors did place some hopes on the NDP 2024 campaign platform to restore the province’s declining reforestation program to 300-million seedlings annually. Admittedly, there were few specifics described in the commitment; particularly by when and how we would make up the current 70-million seedlings drop in demand owing to our shrinking harvest. As we head into the 2025 planting season the annual program has declined to 230-million the lowest in a decade. Speaking at last January’s WFCA annual conference BC Chief Forester Shane Berg laid out some estimates—of what definitely looks like a best-case scenario—that could get us back to 280-million seedlings annually. But, the how of that recovery would depend on our government’s success in restoring the annual harvest to 45-million cubic metres. Currently it’s languishing at 36-million cubic metres. 

VICTORIA – Workers and communities throughout B.C. are benefiting from Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) supported projects that reduce wildfire risk and increase fibre supply, keeping local mills and energy plants running in the face of U.S. tariff threats and unjustified softwood lumber duties. With $28 million from the Province, FESBC is supporting 43 new and expanded fibre-recovery projects and 31 new and expanded wildfire-mitigation projects. “In tough times, I want workers in our forest sector to know I’ve got their back,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Whether it’s better utilizing existing sources of fibre or helping protect communities from wildfire, the projects are supporting workers and companies as they develop new and innovative forest practices.” Projects are taking place in all eight of the Province’s natural resource regions, helping create jobs, reducing wildfire risk and supporting B.C.’s pulp and biomass sector. They will be complete by the end of March 2025, in advance of wildfire season.

• Nelson Bennett in Business in Vancouver: Province accelerates wood waste recovery
• Darren Handschuh in Castanet: Vernon-Lumby MLA said project will benefit forest industry and the environment
• Grant Warkentin in ICON Radio 91.7: Fibre funding will help employ workers, prevent coastal wildfires

BURNABY, BC – The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) is launching a new campaign to highlight strength and recovery after wildfires in BC. The fireweed plant—a sign of ecosystem recovery—is featured on the new limited-edition Fireweed Pin available now. …Featuring artwork by Charlene Johnny, a Quw’utsun artist, the pin is available for $5 at all BCAA locations, with 100% of the proceeds going to non-profit partner organizations working to support wildfire relief and recovery in BC. These include United Way BC’s Wildfire Recovery Fund; and the Canadian Mental Health Association Vancouver-Fraser Branch’s Resilient Minds program which helps first responders build their mental resilience and recover from the psychological effects of protecting their communities. Funds will ensure more BC volunteer firefighters who have limited access to resilience training opportunities get the support that they need.

Jason Fisher

In addition to my day job here at FESBC, I am privileged to get to teach future foresters and resource stewards a 4th-year forest policy course at the University of Northern British Columbia. …These kids are, as a rule, remarkable.  …They come from diverse backgrounds and have varied life experiences and perspectives… They are concerned about the state of the forests and the sector, but they are hopeful about the future. They ask hard questions, give good answers, make room for dialogue, collaborate and are interested in trying something new. …It is easy to be pessimistic right now, but young foresters need us to find our optimism, even if we sometimes have to “fake-it-till-we-make-it”. …So, if tariffs have you down, find a young forester in your office and go for lunch or a walk in the woods and ask them what gets them excited about their future. It might just rekindle your excitement too.

The Willow Creek watershed project will restore wetlands and watercourses in the Homalco First Nation’s territory to reduce flooding and other climate disaster risks, but also boost cultural values and sustainable economic development, said Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) Chief Darren Blaney. Wetlands and riparian areas are critical because they slow and store water moving across the landscape during heavy rains to prevent floods and reduce the wildfire risk created when forests dry out. The Xwémalhkwu, whose territory is in the Campbell River area, recently secured $1.5 million in provincial funding for watershed mapping to identify flood risks and environmentally important areas, Blaney said. The project will focus on balancing the community’s climate resiliency with ecological needs. …Collaborating with partners like Strathcona Regional District will create a holistic approach to flooding that will also protect downstream neighbours, like Campbell River’s Willow Point community, David Carson, Homalco’s emergency planning and land use consultant noted. 

The extremes between the hot summers and bone-chilling winters can have an affect on the Okanagan and its ecosystems. Over the last several years, B.C. filmmakers Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper have explored and created a documentary titled Incandescence, which is an inside look at how wildfires impact the ecosystem and how communities that have both forest and civilization can protect themselves. One of the factors related in the documentary is the extreme differences between dry and wet conditions. This is called hydroclimate whiplash. Ami and Ripper talk with Indigenous elders, first responders, and local residents, getting their reaction to the ever-changing ecosystem.

Kelowna, B.C. – A new documentary, B.C. is Burning, is tackling British Columbia’s wildfire crisis by exploring forest management solutions. The project was sparked in 2024 when Kelowna entrepreneur Rick Maddison, who lost his home in the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire, came across an article by retired forester Murray Wilson about wildfire prevention. The two teamed up to create a film focused on solutions rather than devastation. …The team is hoping to raise $45,000 to finish production and distribution of their film. “Help bring B.C. is Burning to life! We need your support to finish the journey. With $35,000 remaining to complete editing and launch a marketing plan, your sponsorship or partnership can make the difference in ensuring this film reaches audiences far and wide. Join us in sharing a story that has the power to inspire change and protect the future of our forests and communities,” says Murray Wilson.

The province’s review of B.C. Timber Sales (BCTS) is based on a false contention the industry is running out of wood because of allowable annual cut reductions, says the Valhalla Wilderness Society (VWS). VWS said the Ministry’s review of BCTS to ensure the province’s forestry sector “is continually evolving to overcome challenges and create a guideline for a stronger, more resilient future” is barking up the wrong tree. VWS’ Anne Sherrod said the province’s intention to protect more old-growth and reform forestry in a more environmentally beneficial manner lasted only until the forest industry applied enough pressure. …Logging companies were already moving their mills and jobs out of B.C. long before U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, said Sherrod, and claims the province continues to reduce the allowable annual cut, or isn’t signing permits fast enough and environmentalists are depriving them of wood, are just excuses.

Early in the pandemic, as protests at Fairy Creek were beginning to brew, B.C. made a bold promise [to] prioritize healthy ecosystems over harvesting trees. The province then offered up a round of stopgap measures, called old-growth deferrals, designed to tide forests over while it worked out a new forest management system. By fall 2021, B.C. was finally ready to launch a major plank of its new planning regime. Called forest landscape planning, the new system inserts a level of First Nations and B.C. government oversight where there was none, creating regional tables to inform how logging happens on the ground. It’s also the first provincewide land planning process crafted in the wake of B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Former minister of forests, lands and natural resource operations Katrine Conroy called the approach “quite transformational” during a 2021 press conference unveiling the news. Does Conroy’s assessment hold up?

The Tłı̨chǫ Government in the Northwest Territories signed an agreement in late 2023 with a goal of protecting boreal caribou habitat while addressing wildfire-related deforestation. Representatives from national non-profit Tree Canada and British Columbia-based Let’s Plant Trees Ltd provided an update on the project’s progress in Behchokǫ̀ earlier this month. David Tonkin of Let’s Plant Trees Ltd said the company has been successful in collecting seedlings from five different species – white spruce, black spruce, birch, tamarack and aspen. “This has never been done anywhere this far north, and the experiences and the knowledge that we all gain from this will hopefully be to the benefit of many Tłı̨chǫ citizens,” Tonkin said during a presentation… Joshua Quaite, of tree planting firm Spectrum Resource Group, Quaite predicts that 100,000 trees will be planted every day during this project.

BC Wildfire Service, in partnership with Williams Lake Community Forest and Williams Lake First Nation, will conduct a prescribed burn approximately 10 kilometres West of Williams Lake, North of Highway 20, beside the Fraser River. “The prescribed burn will cover approximately 29 hectares within the Williams Lake Community Forest,” Jeromy Corrigan, Information Officer at the Cariboo Fire Centre said, “Burning is expected to begin as early as Thursday, February 27, and continue periodically until Sunday, March 2.” Corrigan said ignitions will proceed only if conditions are suitable and allow for quick smoke dissipation.

Camosun College says their applied research and business innovation arm – Camosun Innovates – has developed a “ground breaking” technology that allows totem pole carving using sustainable second-growth cedar that combines traditional Indigenous art practices with modern engineering. Originally imagined by Indigenous artist Carey Newman, the apparatus allows carvers to work with multiple beams of second-growth cedar instead of old-growth logs. The project, which Newman calls ‘Totem 2.0’, emerged from what he says is a deep commitment to preserving old-growth trees while advancing traditional art forms… The custom-designed carving apparatus features a rotation mechanism that allows carvers to position source timber for access from any angle, what they say is a significant ergonomic innovation. The apparatus has been intentionally designed so that it can be disassembled to fit in a pickup truck for easy transport, facilitating use by multiple artists and communities.

Ken Kalesnikoff

NELSON, BC — A local mill owner appeared before Nelson City Council meeting on behalf of a new society that hopes to increase the profile of the forest industry in B.C. Ken Kalesnikoff, the CEO of Kalesnikoff Lumber, which runs a sawmill and mass timber manufacturing plant in South Slocan, spoke on behalf of the group Forestry Works for BC. The organization is a “grass-roots campaign that represents about 10,000 workers and their families who are concerned about the future forest in British Columbia,” Kalesnikoff said, adding that forestry contributes billions of dollars to government revenue and services. …Members of the society include the Truck Loggers Association, Interior Lumber Manufacturing Association, Independent Wood Processors Association and Forest Nursery Association of B.C. …Kalesnikoff said there needs to be more public awareness of the economic benefits of the forest industry.

At the TLA convention in Vancouver this past January… Chris Duncan, MNP’s national leader of forest products services spoke. …MNP was hired to create an hourly rate for forestry equipment and then tie in productivity to that as part of a second phase. The project was originally announced two years ago at the TLA convention in 2023. …“The goal of the project is to support a balanced and transparent, trusting commercial relationship between contractors and licensees,” Duncan said. The model will be able to be used in all regions of the province to create an estimate of a fair rate, which could then be used for the basis of future negotiations. …To help ensure the project has high-quality data, a random sample of contractors will be generated from a combination of TLA, ILA and NWLA member companies, as well as MNPs 400 contractors in forestry businesses across BC. [click here for Tree Frog News coverage on Duncan’s panel and the full TLA Convention]

A new documentary that looks at the devastation caused by wildfires in B.C. is near completion, but the filmmakers are awaiting more funding. The film will explore forest management solutions to help stop the ongoing crisis. Travis Lowe interviews Murray Wilson, retired BC forester.

The 100 hectares that make up the Puntledge Forest have officially been protected, after a successful fundraising campaign over the past year by the Comox Valley Land Trust. The forest, which also encompasses mature trees, wetlands, trails and the Puntledge River, is a community favourite. The forest was at risk of being logged before the CVLT began acquiring it in 2023. Now, with the final 37 hectares acquired a release from CVLT says “this beloved place is protected forever.” …Since last summer, almost $500,000 was raised from 635 donors. During the same time CVLT was pursuing $1.5 million in grants from four agencies and foundations. BC Hydro’s Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program subsequently provided $400,000 to take the project over the finish line. The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program – Land Trusts Conservation Fund provided $350,000, and the Sitka Foundation and an anonymous foundation each provided $200,000. The biggest single donor was BC Parks Foundation, which provided $700,000 in conjunction with the Wilson 5 Foundation.

Recently there has been discussion about upcoming forest harvesting plans on Tree Farm Licence 47 on Quadra Island. This area is within the unceded and core territory of the We Wai Kai Nation, who approves all forest management activities on the TFL. The Nation and Mosaic Forest Management have worked closely to develop a constructive relationship based on the recognition that as title holder, We Wai Kai has the right to ensure that resources on Quadra Island are being managed consistent with their conservation values and their right to benefit economically from resource extraction on their title lands. The Nation’s logging company, Way Key, is conducting all harvesting on the TFL on Quadra. Both We Wai Kai and Mosaic recognize there is interest in future harvesting activities. We also know that Islanders want a map that identifies where the old growth is (as part of a spatially explicit strategy) before harvesting occurs. 

A non-profit organization focussed on conservation is trying to raise $294,000 in order to purchase and protect a section of forest along the Xwe´sam (Salmon) River, near Sayward. The Nature Trust of British Columbia is specifically trying to purchase more than 105.6 acres (42.7 hectares) of floodplain forest with some old-growth trees on the land. “The risk of losing towering Sitka spruce, grand fir, western redcedar and Douglas-fir in this floodplain forest to development is real and the need to purchase and protect this vital habitat is urgent,” says Dr. Jasper Lament, CEO of the Nature Trust of BC. …If they are able to raise the necessary funds, the Nature Trust will be able to expand upon the previously purchased Salmon River Estuary Conservation Complex, which would grow the conservation complex to 1,037.8 acres (420 hectares).

VICTORIA — The New Democrats last August committed the province to paying more than $100 million over five years to the Sunshine Coast-based shíshálh Nation. But they kept the amount and related terms secret until well after the provincial election. …Those payments are in addition to $32 million provided to the nation for land purchases and implementation costs in an agreement signed by the previous John Horgan government in 2018. …The New Democrats initially excused the delay in making the other terms public, saying they wanted to release the agreement — honest, they did. …The ministry challenged my view that the agreement signed last year and released this year broke new ground with commitments to negotiate Aboriginal title and also to negotiate “exclusive decision-making” with the shíshálh nation. …It was about providing enough time to, you know, start a proper conversation with anyone gullible enough to trust this government on such matters.

A retired forester and a Kelowna entrepreneur have joined forces to produce a documentary focused on British Columbia’s wildfire crisis by exploring forest management solutions. The project is the brainchild of Rick Maddison, who lost his home in the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire, and retired forester Murray Wilson. The pair teamed up to create a film focused on solutions rather than the devastation. The documentary is being produced by the Kelowna’s Distill Media, and filming has taken place throughout B.C., Nevada, and California. The documentary focuses on innovative forest management techniques designed to make wildfires more controllable and less destructive and features interviews with leading experts… The team is hoping to raise $45,000 to finish the production and distribution of their film.

The Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) revisited previous board discussions about future logging plans needed to mitigate fires. During a Feb. 20 meeting, KDCFS members highlighted the demand for cedar and fir while highlighting that several blocks of hemlock trees have been damaged by past fires, rendering some unusable. The Briggs Creek fire that occurred in 2022 led to the destruction of many hemlock trees that will need to be harvested in the next two years before deteriorating. Society forester and treasurer Jeff Mattes explained that the society’s logging plans for the year 2025 will include utilizing a patch-cut system to reserve some of the trees. A patch-cut system refers to the removal of an entire stand of trees less than one hectare.

Devices used to detect and prevent wildfires in remote forests are expensive, but the one that Northeastern University student Anson He is making will be cheaper to launch on drones over dense woodlands. He is pursuing his master’s degree in computer science at Northeastern’s Vancouver campus. In January, he started a co-op at Bayes Studio — a Vancouver company that uses robotics and machine learning to make forest fire detection tools. He is helping to produce a device that uses less expensive components than others on the market. His role is core to the small company’s success: He is in charge of prototyping the hardware and coding the software for what Bayes calls its Edge device.  Other team members work on integrating artificial intelligence into the device’s functionality and connecting the device to servers.

YELLOWKNIFE, NT – The Governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories are working together to protect nature. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, alongside the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change for the Government of Northwest Territories, jointly announced the signing of the Canada–Northwest Territories Nature Agreement to advance nature-related priorities, in collaboration with Indigenous governments, across the territory. The 10-year Agreement reflects the governments’ shared commitment to long-term environmental sustainability and addresses the critical challenge of biodiversity loss. This is done by providing support for Indigenous-led Protected and Conserved Areas, improving outcomes for key species at risk, supporting Indigenous leadership in conservation and stewardship, and facilitating data exchange. The Government of Northwest Territories will work with Indigenous governments and organizations toward the protection and conservation of 6% of the territory by 2028, with the potential to protect and conserve up to 9.6% of the territory by 2035.